Kitchen Garden

THE SITUATIONA Phoenix-area homeowner requested a vegetable garden that would be easy for her to tend and not require a lot of bending. Landscape designer César Mazier suggested situating it on an empty section of her property that offered plenty of space and sunshine.

THE PLANTo create a more intimate, enclosed setting, Mazier constructed stucco walls with wooden doors that open to a grassy area. Then he added several planting beds, a potting bench with a sink, and a fish pond with a ramada covered in saguaro ribs.

THE DESIGNStepping stones were set in a cobblestone pattern to lend Old World ambience to the garden floor. Waist-high raised beds were built and configured with individual irrigation valves so that they can be turned on and off independently.

THE DETAILSThe homeowner has had much success growing broccoli cabbage, kale, lettuce, radishes, peas, spinach, strawberries, string beans and zucchini. Potatoes and tomatoes, however, do not fare so well. She also grows loofah plants, and gives the dried sponges as gifts.